Jade Force
by Fairy of the Friz
Summary: The six Dragon Kings agreed to meet in the year X791 to take down Zeref for good, and each would bring their human mage child with them. But the Jade Dragon, Quartzerine might have a SMALL problem with that. His daughter is currently sailing the Grand Line with one of the Yonkou, Akagami no Shanks. And she has a bounty. Maybe, though, just maybe, that'll be what they need to win.
1. Chapter 1

_Jade Force_

Prologue

**#Author note: **

**Yes yes, how naughty of me, starting another fic before I finish the first one. Tough. The plot bunnies demanded to be written!**

There were six Dragon Kings left.

Of fire, Igneel; of iron, Metalicana; of the shadows, Skiadrum; the Master Healer of the Skies, Grandeeney; the Priest of Light, Weislogia; and the Jade Seer, Quartzerine. Between them, it was agreed that the only way to take down Zeref was through END. But Quartzarine, who saw the Truth of the future, knew they had a very long time to wait – four hundred years from now, X791, to be exact. But to take down Zeref's Demons, they needed help from mages, and the most reliable magic for that was Metsuryū Mahou.

At that meeting, so many years ago, it was decided that those six Kings would find a child to raise as their own prior to X777 – a magical year that could be the turning point against the Demons – and agreed to meet up again on that fateful day for one last battle.

But there was no great adventure ever told, where there were not bumps along the way…


	2. Chapter 1, Aubrey Nephrite

_Jade Force_

Chapter one: Aubrey Nephrite

**#Author note: **

**Time wise, this is set in X777 for Fairy Tail, and fourteen years pre-timeskip for One Piece. **

"Dad!" Aubrey called, scaling the treacherous Boscan mountain range. "Hey, Quartzerine! I know you're here! Where'd you go? Come on, you can't tell me you changed Nests again! What's the big idea, sending me to those human towns –" she struggled briefly when her coattails caught on a shrubby outcropping – "and then moving nest? I know it's to train my nose and homing senses, but, Dad –!" Coffee-coloured hands grabbed at a deceptively stable rock, green eyes widened behind jade-studded glasses, and white hair fluttered as she fell.

"Hisuiryū no Hokou!" She roared, using the jade shards to propel herself back onto the mountain side. "Dad, please!" She whispered. "It's been a week already… Why did you move Nest whilst I was still sleeping? Where'd you go?" Thunder growled on the horizon, causing her shoulders to stiffen. Lightning crackled, and from the north, the rain came pouring down in bucket loads. Aubrey barely managed a whimper before the sheets hit her, turning the mountain earth into mud in seconds, and causing its integrity to crumble so quickly that it could no longer stand her weight.

"Hisuiryū no Hakari!" Aubrey cried desperately as the mud gathered her up, her body now covered in scales of varying shades of green. She struggled to keep herself above the mud, but it kept sucking her under, and even her impressive strength was waning.

_Quartzerine_, she whispered in her mind, just before everything went black.

**_ * . * . * _**

It was warm, and almost uncomfortably soft. What had Aubrey fallen asleep on, a sheep? Her fingers twitched, trying to decide.

"I think she's waking up!" Someone cried excitedly. Aubrey's brows furrowed – that was human, the language Boscan. What was going on?

Opening her eyes with some difficulty, Aubrey looked around the room, blinking once. "Where am I?" She asked quietly, hand still searching for her glasses. She only needed them for reading, but their weight was a comforting one.

"You're in the Wiseman's hut!" A small boy of about eight exclaimed, looking at her excitedly. No doubt she was the most interesting thing this boy had ever seen in this no-doubt secluded village, with her dark skin and bright hair.

"You are a very lucky young lady," a man in his late forties told her in a gravelly voice, passing her her glasses. "to have survived a mud slide like that."

Aubrey swallowed, then whispered, "I don't feel very lucky." Her hand reached for the metal at her throat, and her eyes widened when she couldn't feel the chain her father had placed there only the other day. "My pendant! Where is it?"

"Pendant?" Asked the Wiseman, confused. "Young lady, you just escaped the mountain with your life. A pendant is hardly an expense –"

"Don't lie to me!" Aubrey growled, getting out of the bedding on uneven legs, barely sparing the borrowed clothes a glance. "That was the last thing Quartzerine gave me! It's my treasure, now give it back!"

"Young lady!" The Wiseman exclaimed, drawing himself up to his full, unimpressive height. "Are you accusing me of theft?!"

"I don't care who took it!" Aubrey growled back, eyes dangerous. "My father gave me that before he disappeared, and it's precious to me, so give it back!"

The Wiseman backhanded Aubrey, sending her staggering. "Learn your place, woman!" He snarled.

"You shouldn't have done that," Aubrey whispered back, head still turned to the side. Her face snapped back to meet his, her eyes now slitted behind her glasses. With barely two steps between the two of them, the Wiseman registered only that her form seemed to blur briefly, and suddenly his head snapped back with a resounding _crack!_

"Now where is my pendant, and where are my clothes," Aubrey growled.

The small boy, staring up at her aghast, whispered, "You're a mage!" He drew breath to scream – for help? in fear? Aubrey didn't want to know – only for Aubrey to cover his mouth with her hand.

"My name is Aubrey, and I'm the Hisui no Metsuryū. Who are you?" She asked gently but firmly, removing her hand briefly.

"I – I – I'm Thom!" He squeaked. "I found you, I'm the Wiseman's Apprentice!" He shook like a leaf.

"It's nice to meet you, Thom. Do you know where my pendent is? It's a silver chain with a large green gem at the end."

Thom shook his head quickly, though his eyes glanced guiltily to the Wiseman's immobile form.

"Thom," Aubrey said quietly, crouching down and looking up at him, catching his eyes. "Do you know what the Jade Dragon stands for?" He shook his head furiously. "We stand for Truth. So I know when people lie to me. Let's try an easier question. Where are my clothes?"

"O-out the back!" Thom exclaimed. "They were covered with so much mud that the Wiseman said to toss them!"

Aubrey tried not to let that get to her – her clothes must have been filthy, for sure. "See? The truth isn't so hard to tell, now is it?" Thom shook his head again. "Now, let's try again. Where is my pendant?"

Swallowing hard, Thom shook his head more than ever. "I – I can't tell you! The Wiseman is my Master!"

Aubrey's eyes softened. "Well, I can respect that. You are certainly a brave one." She smiled at him softly, before striking a nerve at the back of his neck, stunning him. Placing the boy's body down gently, she then moved to the Wiseman and pushed the neck of his robes aside, revealing her pendent. Sighing in relief, she took it from him, and placed it back over her own neck, stroking the surface once softly. "Where _are_ you, Dad?" She whispered, looking down at the borrowed blue nightdress. It wouldn't last long in these mountains, so she moved quickly to the back door, following the traces of her own scent mixed with mud, planning to put her own clothes on overtop as protection about the chilly mountain nights.

Her coat looked as though it belonged to some great brown lizard, it was so caked in drying mud, and her underclothes had barely fared any better: her green pants and halter-necked shirt were still sticky with it, and even her armbands – once a pretty white and blue, a gift on her seventh birthday – were the colour of not-very-nice-things. The boots she'd been wearing still had miniature bogs inside, so she decided to repay the villagers their kindness, and 'liberate' some shoes instead.

Finding nothing in the Wiseman's house, she moved stealthily over to the next building, ears sharp as she did so.

The first house she tried smelled like Thom – his home, probably – and she could hear his parents talking inside. Finding a pair of sturdy boots outside of the next house that reasonably fit her, Aubrey listened to the conversation as she secured them with an extra buckle she made out of jade.

"Thom said the girl was covered in _scales_, when he found her!" A woman whispered worriedly, light footsteps pacing the interior and hiding any possible noise Aubrey made.

"Scales?" A man replied. "You don't think she's a _mage_, do you?" There was an undertone of panic in both their voices, sending a sick feeling to the very pit of Aubrey's stomach.

"The Wiseman told me that there was a carving of a dragon on the inside of her pendant!" The woman burst out suddenly, as though the words had been eating away at her. "And that boy they chased out of town this morning, who claimed he was looking for a metal dragon!"

Aubrey's eyes widened. _Gajeel-kun!_ She thought desperately, hoping that they'd keep talking, give her more information.

"I'm sure it's nothing, love," Her husband soothed, footsteps moving towards her voice. "That boy is too busy licking his wounds in the forest, or better yet, dead, to do anything to u –!"

He choked on his words, staring at the teenaged girl holding him by the neck against his own living room wall.

"Where. Is. Gajeel-kun." She snarled.

"Who?" He stuttered.

"Metalicana's brat! The Tetsu no Matsuryu!"

"I – I don't know what you're talking about!"

"You were just talking about him!" Aubrey yelled, at the end of her patience. "He's only ten, and he's not that bright, so do us all a favour and tell me where you chased him off, so that I can get the hell out of here!"

The father scowled. "Mage scum," He wheezed. Lips twisted into a snarl, Aubrey threw him across the room, disappearing whilst the Boscans were occupied.

Aubrey ran around the town edges, casting about for Gajeel's scent. _Guess I'll just have to find him on my own_, she thought grimly.

It was going to be a long night.

**Translations and Author's note:**

**Metsuryū Mahou – Dragon Slayer Magic**

**Hisuiryū no – Jade Dragon's**

**Hokou – roar**

**Hakari – scales**

**Hisui no Metsuryū – Jade Dragon Slayer**

**Tetsu no Metsuryū – Iron Dragon Slayer**

**_ * . * . * _**

**So, what do you think? Please review! I love constructive criticism! (will also give me an idea as to how soon I'll continue the updates – they're planned, just not written yet)**


	3. Chapter 2, Maybe

_Jade Force_

Chapter two: Maybe

**#Author note: **

**Oh my gods, you lot are amazing! I've never felt so loved! (slight exaggeration, just go with it)**

**Special shout out to the awesome reviewers, **loveredhairedshanks**,**Daxen123**, and **memarvo_(__**who I couldn't reply to, but thank you!**__)_**!**

**Anyway, lovelies, I'm going on holidays! See you in two weeks!**

A week passed, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for Aubrey to track Gajeel the closer to the border (and larger settlements) they got. She really hoped nothing too bad had happened to him, but judging on her own experience with the mage-hating locals, and the smell of blood that had joined Gajeel's scent two days ago, she doubted it.

If only she knew where Quartzerine was! It had been three weeks! And whatever was going on _must_ have happened to Metalicana as well, since it was a four day trek from his and Gajeel's nest to Quartzerine and Aubrey's. Had Gajeel come searching for Quartzerine to help, and gotten lost? They'd changed Nest many times since the last time Gajeel had visited – and that had been when Aubrey and Metalicana were still on speaking terms, when V… no, Aubrey had promised herself she wouldn't dwell on those memories. It was too painful.

At the rate they were going, though, Aubrey estimated that they would cross the border into neighbouring Fiore within the next few days. She was still at least a day's travel behind Gajeel, having had to fight off bandits and the odd male traveller. Hopefully Gajeel hadn't had the same problems in that area, because that _would_ be disturbing, but the mountains attracted all sorts of characters.

_Fiore_… she mused to herself as she walked down a path lined with scraggly trees. From what little she knew of the other country (Quartzerine was good with Geography, but not human society or politics), Mages were actually a part of the daily life. They joined _Guilds_, something like a large, extended family group, which was where they could find jobs to do in exchange for _money_ (a human method of trading paper notes or shiny coins for desired objects, food or creatures), and often did pretty well for themselves. At the time, Aubrey had been about six or seven, easily impressed with such an idea. She'd asked Quartzerine if _she_ could join one of these Guilds. He'd laughed, and said, _maybe someday, precious one. When you're bigger, and don't need me anymore_.

She had pouted, and told him that _of course_ she'd always need him, he was her father.

"Where are you?" She whispered, pausing to look up at the sky again, hoping to see a large green silhouette.

Shaking her head, Aubrey continued forward, fingering her pendant. "If… if we _do_ end up in Fiore," She whispered, mind far away from the path. "Perhaps… Perhaps a guild has seen them. The dragons, and Gajeel-kun… and maybe… maybe, I can join one! Just for a little, of course! But… maybe…" She smiled softly. "Yeah. Maybe."

**_ * . * . * _**

Risley really _hated_ her native country. She didn't hate a lot of things. That just wasn't in her character. But Bosco? They _really_ didn't like mages, and they underestimated a chubby girl! Even though she had difficulty using magic – she hadn't found the right one yet – her best friend, Arania, was a very strong mage in their guild, Mermaid Heel. If they were going to hate Arania for her magic, and hate Risley for her appearance… Argh! It mad her so mad! But missions to Bosco paid the best, so they had to put up with it.

They were only going just over the border this time, to deal with some human traders that were getting out of hand. Risley did the research and got the information she needed by working as a barmaid in town. Arania would take out the traders. With her Web Magic and their combined strategies, the two girls were a well accomplished team.

It was going pretty well, until the second week Risley worked the bar. She'd gotten almost enough information for them to move in and destroy the trading base, when she heard an interesting tale about a mage girl that they had caught, and were having trouble keeping her contained without the use of heavy tranquilisers. The tale got even more interesting when Risley heard what magic she claimed to use.

Metsuryū no Mahou. Lost Magic.

"Are you sure?" Arania gasped, staring at her friend.

"There's no mistaking it – I heard it from every source."

"But!" Arania stared. "How could she? It's called a _Lost_ Magic for a reason!"

"That's just what they say!" Risley said back. "Anyway, it doesn't matter! There's a young mage stuck there, being held hostage and drugged! We have to help her!"

Arania shook her head. "We'll do that anyway, Ris-chan. But how are we going to do that? Do you know where the hideout is yet?"

Risley nodded, pulling a piece of paper and a pencil over, as well as a topographic map of the area. They were _definitely_ going to rescue that girl!

**_ * . * . * _**

_Everything was… fuzzy. I really shouldn't have let my guard down, in this country. Hmm… I hope they didn't get Gajeel-kun too. I don't think I'm lucid enough to save myself, let alone the two of us…_

_I remember the first time I met him, though. When Quartzerine started sending me into the human towns so that I could learn about them first hand. Five? Six? Something like that. Metalicana's mate had suggested it. Her daughter, Fjorda, was the Water Dragon Slayer, but she lived in a village not too far from the two Nests. I would spend a day or two every week learning about humans and their society from her. She was married to a Boscan man, and she had little Gajeel._

_He was so cute. I was his second word, the first being Mama._

_But… it was stupid of us. In Bosco, magic and mages are feared. For two Dragon slayers to be in the same town? For a mage to have a child? It was a recipe for disaster. And then it got worse. Fjorda had another son, Raios. I was seven, he six months old, that I screwed everything up._

_We were talking about the Festival of the Dragon King. Quartzerine had mentioned it to me, that his brother, Zirconis, had died then, so I was asking Fjorda about it when she was giving Raios a bath. She used the water to describe each scene as it happened._

"_Remember, Aubrey-chan!" She laughed when I cheered over her figurines. "We're different to the other Dragon Slayers. We're all Creation-type mages, but," She twirled a finger, and the water followed – baby Raios laughed. "You and I are different. Our elements aren't as ethereal as the others. Water, Jade, Iron, even Lightning! We can change our bodies, control these elements, better than the other Dragons. Remember that, Aubrey-chan." She tickled Gajeel under the chin. "You too, Gajeel-kun!"_

"_Do you think Gajeel-kun will learn magic too, Fjorda-nee?" I asked, hugging the three-year-old to me as he struggled away from his mother's fingers._

_She laughed, removing Raios from the bath and wrapping him in a towel. "Can't you smell it on him yet, Aubrey-chan? Both my boys are going to go far!"_

_The door slammed open then, revealing her husband, a furious scowl on his face. The smile dropped from Fjorda's, and she stood between her husband and us children._

"_Aubrey-chan, take Gajeel with you today, please." Her voice was so quiet only a dragon's ears could have picked the words._

"_Fjorda, is it true?" He growled, concentrating on her, and not noticing me and Gajeel slipping out of the window. We crouched beneath the sill; I placed a finger to Gajeel-kun's mouth, smiled reassuringly, and he nodded with a big smile._

"_You can use _magic_? And you gave it to our sons, you cursed our _sons_!" _

"_Now, there's no need to yell, Hanzu." She said softly._

"_No _need_?! You've cursed our children! They're better off dead!" There was a sudden silence, a terrible silence. "_You're_ better off dead."_

"_Run!" Fjorda yelled in Draconian._

_That was the last I ever heard from her, and the last I ever saw baby Raios. I ran with Gajeel in my arms all the way back to Metalicana's Nest, which was the closer one. Vestra, his mate, went to retrieve Fjorda's body. Gajeel stayed with Metalicana and his Nest, learning Iron Dragon Slayer Magic. I went home with Quartzerine._

_And that was that. _

**Author Note**

**-_-" Ah, maybe a bit too dark towards the end there? Anyway, please keep the reviews coming! Any and all constructive criticism is welcomed!**

**Brisnova, here I come!**


	4. Chapter 3, Well if it's ok

_Jade Force_

Chapter three: Well, if it's ok…

**#Author note: **

**Waah, minna I'm sorry I took so long! I had horrible writers block! But I hope you all had a wonderful holidays, with lots of food and gifts!**

_I see many things in my dreams. This time, it's a redheaded man with three scars dragging across his left eye, smiling at me. "Ready, Aubrey?" His grin was full of the promise of fun and adventure. Laughing, he tipped a straw hat back on his head, and turned away. The future dream – for it could be nothing else, I've never seen him before in my life –tailed off, leaving me in darkness for a while._

_I hope Gajeel-kun is ok…._

"Ris-chan, she's waking up!"

… Huh? The language was Fioran!

Blinking slowly, Aubrey squinted slightly, trying to take in the floating faces above her. One was a girl not too much older than her, maybe sixteen or seventeen, with heavy blonde curls, whilst the other girl is Aubrey's age or younger, maybe thirteen instead of fourteen, with a halo of black friz for hair.

"Give her space, Arania-chan!" The frizzy-haired one exclaimed, getting in closer to Aubrey anyway.

She tried to pull away, staring at them. "Who –?"

"Oh, where are our manners?!" The frizzy-haired one exclaimed then, pulling back out of her space as the blonde handed Aubrey her glasses. "This is Arania Webb, and I'm Risley Law! We're Mermaid Heel mages, we rescued you!" She smiled brilliantly.

"Rescued… me?" Aubrey's eyes widened then. "Gajeel-kun!" She exclaimed, sitting up quickly. "Gajeel-kun, was he there?! Did you see him?"

They exchange looks, before turning back to Aubrey. "You were the youngest person there, and there weren't too many boys. What did he look like, though?"

"He's not too big, long black hair, pierced ears, scars on his right arm – please, he's ten! Did you see my little brother?"

They exchange glances, before both shook their heads. "Sorry." They said together.

Aubrey bowed her head at that. "Well, if he wasn't there, then hopefully he never was," She murmured. Her eyes widen then, though. "How long have I been out?"

"It's been almost a week since we rescued you." Risley said.

"What?" Aubrey whispered, staring at them in shock. "A _week_?! I'm never going to find him now!"

"We can try and help!" Risley exclaimed.

"No offense," Aubrey began, "But I don't think you're cut out for this."

"Don't underestimate a chubby girl!" Risley yelled, making Aubrey wince.

"What does body-type have to do with this?" She grumbled back. "I meant that it's unlikely that there's any trace of Gajeel-kun left. Unless either of you know some kind of tracking magic?" She raised her brows at that. They shook their heads, and Aubrey nodded back. "I thought so. I've been using my nose this whole time, but I doubt if the scent will still be around, especially after however much traffic has been on the road." She clenched her fists. "I've failed him!" She whispered.

"What are you talking about, huh?" Risley demanded.

"Let's think about this logically," Arania agreed soothingly. "What direction has he been travelling in?"

Aubrey looked up at both of them, and hardened her gaze. "You're both right." She nodded. "If he's stayed on the course he's been following for the last month, then he should have crossed the border into Fiore by now… But how to find a little Dragon Slayer in a country that big?!"

"Oh, that should be easy!" Arania smiled. "Just find some way to get into _Weekly Sorcerer_, and mention how you're trying to find your adorable little brother, and before you know it, every single person who's reading it will be looking for him."

Aubrey's breath catches in her throat – _could it really be that easy?!_ – before she looked back to the two guild mages with a hard look in her eyes. "How do I get into this _Weekly Sorcerer_?"

"That's easy enough," Risley said whilst Arania nodded. "Just join a guild, and make a name for yourself. For a Dragon Slayer like you, it shouldn't take too long, especially if you choose a guild that already has some coverage. Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, Phantom Lord, Fairy Tail, Mermaid Heel … they're the ones that are in the papers the most."

"Mermaid Heel…? That's your guild, isn't it?" Aubrey finally said quietly.

The other two girls gasped. "Will you join us?!" They cheered, making Aubrey flinch and cover her ears with a grimace.

Rubbing her ear, Aubrey said quietly, "Well, if it's ok with you two. I don't know where those other guilds are."

"Yatta!" The two mermaids cheered, hugging each other. "We have a Dragon Slayer!"

**_ * . * . * _**

After cleaning up and letting Aubrey regain her strength, it took another week for the three girls to return to the town of Salix*, where Mermaid Heel was situated. The hardest part had been when they had to catch a train, something Aubrey had only ever read about – and deeply regretted. It turned out that she had severe motion sickness, and Risley and Arania had had to carry her from the station to the guild themselves, she'd been so weak.

"Never again," She moaned. "Humans must be some kind of sadistic to come up with _that_ for transport!"

"Now, now, Au-chan!" Risley laughed. "It wasn't that bad!"

Aubrey gave her a truly scary stink eye for that.

Finally reaching the Guild Hall, situated just outside of town, the three mages stopped right at the door.

"Please wait a moment," Aubrey asked quietly. "I want to make a good impression to the Master! So I have to go in on my own."

"Tadaima!" Risley and Arania called, opening the doors after Aubrey nodded, having swallowed hard and drawn herself up straight.

"Okaeri!" Countless female voices called back. Aubrey looked around with wide eyes.

"Wow," She murmured in Draconian.

"O~h?" Someone cooed. "Who've you got there, Ris-chan, Ara-chan?"

"Master!" They exclaimed.

"This is Aubrey!" Risley told her proudly. "Don't underestimate her!"

"Really?" The Master asked, stepping out of the shadows. "Well, aren't you a cutie?"`

Aubrey cocked her head to one side. "Really? I've never thought of myself that way."

The Master raised her brows at that – with her coffee-coloured skin and white hair, those big green eyes, and that truly adorable puff-sleeved coat of hers…! Ah, but now wasn't the time for that!

"Well, Aubrey-chan, let's hear it, then! Why do you want to become a Mermaid?"

"Oh, that? Well, I… I've always wanted to join a guild, ever since Quartzerine told me about them as a kit. But now that he's missing, and I need to find Gajeel-kun, Risley and Arania suggested a guild, and since they rescued me, I figured, you know, maybe Mermaid Heel would be nice?" There was colour in Aubrey's cheeks by the end of that, not a hundred per cent used to explaining her motives to anyone other than her father.

The Master raised her brows again, though. "Really? Well, Aubrey-chan, what kind of magic do you use? You're more than welcome to join us, but I'd like to know, all the same."

Aubrey's face lit up then, and she happily declared, "Dragon Slayer Magic! I'm the Jade Dragon Slayer!"

The guild went quiet.

Blinking in confusion, Aubrey cocked her head to the side. "Um, did I say something wrong?"

"EH?! DRAGON SLAYER?!"

**Translations:**

**Yatta – hurray!**

**Tadaima – we're back/home **

**Okaeri – welcome back/home!**

***Salix – goat willow tree, or more commonly referred to as Pussy willow (you understand why I changed the name -_-") There are a lot of stories about pussy willows, and I kinda just went 'stuff it, let's call it pussy willow!' It'll also have some minor reference later on, so stay tuned ;)**

**Author's note:**

**I've deliberately written 'kit' instead of 'kid' above. Dragon kit, human kid… does that make sense? That the Dragon Slayers see themselves more as dragons than as humans?**

**I'm really sorry I took so long to update! Please forgive me! I might be a little while in updating, we're doing a stocktake at work, but I'm **_**hoping**_** to update a little after New Years. If you have any suggestions about a better town name, or things you'd like to see whilst Aubrey's at Mermaid Heel, feel free to send me a message in one way shape or form!**

**Also, **loveredhairedshanks**, it might be another couple of chapters before we finally meet Shanks, but I gave him a small cameo for you at the top!**


	5. Chapter 4, Nasuada

_Jade Force_

Chapter four: Nasuada

**#Author note: **

**Here's a birthday present from me to you! Please don't forget to read and review!**

**Have I done a disclaimer at any point in stage? Well, Mashima and Oda are the masters, not me.**

Aubrey was holding her ears, trying desperately to block the shrill squeals of her new guild mates.

"Are you really a Dragon Slayer?"

"Where did you learn that?!"

"That's a _Lost_ Magic, how can you do that?"

"Girls, girls!" The Master finally called out, quieting them. "Let the poor girl breath!"

Cautiously, Aubrey removed her hands from her ears, looking around at the hundred odd women and girls before her. Taking in a deep breath, she declared, "I learnt my magic from my father, Quarterzine – the Jade Dragon!"

There were more murmurings, at that, until, finally, "Prove it."

The speaker was a large, heavily-muscled woman with skin some shades darker than Aubrey's own with dark brown ringlets that Aubrey was almost jealous of. "Metsuryū Mahou is said to be the most destructive and powerful of magicks. So let's see how you fare, brat. Prove your capabilities."

"Nasuada!" Risley exclaimed, moving forward.

"Aren't you the one who said not to underestimate her?" The hulking woman demanded.

"Yes, but –!" Risley began.

"I accept," Aubrey interrupted. Her green eyes were steely behind her glasses. "What are the terms?"

Nasuada raised her brows – this girl had guts. "There is a glen out the back of the guild. Behind that is an arena, which is where we'll do battle. We fight until one submits to the other."

An emotion flashed through Aubrey's eyes, too fast for Nasuada to recognise.

"What are the stakes, _exactly_?"

Nasuada raised her brows. "If I win, you leave, and you never associate your name with this guild. In the unlikely event that _you_ win, then you may stay, and I'll accept that you are truly a Dragon Slayer."

Aubrey nodded once, holding out her hand, which, after a moment, Nasuada shook. Beneath the two of them, a greenish-white magic circle with a dragon's face in the centre opened with a sound similar to a gong. "The deal is struck!" Aubrey declared. "And that is the Truth of the matter – we are both bound by these words, and so, we will follow through with them!"

"What did you do?!" Nasuada snarled, grabbing the front of Aubrey's collar.

Aubrey looked at her levelly. "It is the Jade Dragon's job to make sure all deals struck are kept amongst the Nests. We struck a deal. And I am the Jade Dragon Slayer."

Nasuada shook for a moment, before letting go of Aubrey's jacket collar. That steady gaze from behind those green-tinted glasses… it was unnerving.

"You have ten minutes to prepare yourself, _wench_," She spat instead.

**_ * . * . * _**

"Are you ready?" The Master called from her box in the stadium that surrounded the arena, she and the Guild safe behind Magic Neutralising Barriers.

Both mages nodded curtly, eyeing each other.

Master sighed, before adding, "Then you may begin."

Aubrey settled into a ready stance and, to the shock of the audience, removed her glasses and closed her eyes.

"_EH?!"_ The Mermaid Heel mages exclaimed.

"Are you stupid?" Nasuada whispered, before shaking her head, moving forward, charging her magic into her fists, and _punching._

She missed; her magical power was released in a shock wave that caused the barriers to ripple with discharge. The force made the tassels on Aubrey's shoulder bands flutter wildly, but even so, Aubrey's eyes remained closed, her face serene.

Nasuada gritted her teeth, and aimed another powerful punch, followed by more increasingly stronger and faster shots. Not a single one hit Aubrey.

"Master?" Arania whispered by her elbow, clutching Aubrey's coat tightly. "What's going on? Has Aubrey-chan used something to make Nasuada miss? To do something like that, to our strongest S-Class wizard…!"

"Do you really think that?" The Master asked her quietly. "After all that talk of 'keeping the Truth'?" Her eyes never left the battle below.

Nasuada's most powerful attack so far, with all of the power of her shoulders and legs behind it, finally made an impression – previously, all of Aubrey's dodges had been so slight that only the Master had been able to see them. On this occasion though, she visibly swayed to her right, twisted, crouched, and kicked Nasuada off her feet, making the other Mermaids gasp in shock. Continuing her motion, she twisted up, having drawn breath the whole time, and releasing it once she faced Nasuada again, with a shout.

"Hisuiryū no Hokou!"

Thousands of brilliant jade shards shot from her mouth straight for Nasuada, just as she was jumping back on her feet. The breath attack took her in the chest and flung her back into the barriers.

Aubrey was still semi crouched where she'd started, ears facing where Nasuada had landed, eyes still shut. Nasuada got up with a snarl.

"Hisui no Hakari," Aubrey said quietly, green scales racing up and over every visible bit of skin.

Nasuada launched herself forward, kicking and swinging, her limbs a blur. Aubrey's dodges were now visible to the other guild members, as she ducked and weaved, always exactly where Nasuada's shots _weren't_. It was almost as if she knew just where Nasuada was going to strike before she actually did! But that must just be fanciful thoughts on they, the audience's, part, surely?

Aubrey could tell that Nasuada's stamina was on par with, perhaps even greater than, her own. So waiting for Nasuada to tire might not be the best way to victory. From what she understood from the crowd's murmuring before, Nasuada was one of their S-Class wizards – one of the strongest mages in the guild, after the Master. Simply predicting where the shots would go and dodging them, Aubrey wasn't going to win this way. She would have to start using her higher spells.

Of course, it did help that she could 'see' what Nasuada would do before she did it.

Finally sick of her shots missing, Nasuada jumped back a few paces and punched the ground with a grim smile. _See if you can dodge _this,_ wench!_

Aubrey's face had creased in a frown seconds before Nasuada had jumped backwards, and _just before_ she punched the ground, Aubrey had given a small jump herself, landing in a crouch just as the first tremor had shot through the ground, lifting her back up and into the air, concentrating her magic.

Of course, with her extra sense open for the battle, Aubrey wasn't _just_ seeing Nasuada's next move – she was hearing the voices of the future.

_A dragon's lungs to breath fire…_ A young someone whispered in her ear as she drew in a deep breath, launching another roar at Nasuada. Although, of course, her breath was full of jade shards, not fire.

_A dragon's scales to dissolve fire…_ Her jade scales shielded her from the debris and deflected shards that her roar had stirred up.

Landing on the ground lightly, she rushed at Nasuada, for the first time in this battle taking the offensive. _A dragon's claws to wrap in flames… _Though the vicious claws she lashed out with through the clearing dust from her last attack were made of sharp semi-precious stone.

_A magic that transforms your own body parts into those of a dragon's…_

"Hisuiryū no Yokugeki!" She slashed her arms up and over, sending spiralling, glittering shards of jade towards Nasuada, who only just managed to dodge, taken aback by the sudden change in Aubrey's demeanour.

_Metsuryū no Mahou!_

Aubrey ran in behind her attack, her jade scales protecting her from her own shards, more jade covering her right arm and left elbow, creating large points. "Hisuiryū no Nanarenbu!" Nasuada didn't see her shoot from the dust until suddenly she was there with, what seemed to Nasuada, multiple green swords swinging straight for her.

Managing to recover, Nasuada landed a blow on one of the swords, causing it to shatter; it didn't seem to sway Aubrey, who just twisted quickly, lashing out with the elbow blade from the opposite arm, catching Nasuada across the nose, before Aubrey danced backwards, crouching again, a new magic circle opening beneath her feet.

"Metsuryū Ougi! Hikari no Hashira!" A large pentagonal spire made entirely of jade shot up from beneath Nasuada's feet, growing some thirty feet straight into the air, with Nasuada trapped in the centre.

"Be judged by the Truth," Aubrey declared quietly as the pillar begin to glow, opening her eyes and replacing her glasses. "Let your lies be your binding."

The stadium was quiet.

"Well," The Master called down finally. "Where would you like your Guild Mark?" 

**Translation:**

**Hisuiryū no Yokugeki – Jade Dragon's Wingslash**

**Hisuiryū no Nanarenbu – Jade Dragon's Seven Slice Dance**

**Metsuryū Ougi – Dragon Slayer's Secret Art**

**Hikari no Hashira – Pillar of Light**

**Author's Note:**

**Guys, I'm having trouble trying to figure out how to make the Master look etc – please, **_**ANY and ALL **_**suggestions are welcomed.**

**Also, can anybody guess who the 'young someone' from before was? XD**

**Last one, for those who've read chapter 415 *gross sobbing*, don't worry, it's not going to have too big of an effect on the storyline, but we'll cross that bridge later.**


End file.
